After winning the Catholic Youth Council (CYC) tournament for the first time in public school history last season, OHS soccer had high hopes of repeating as champions.

Having won five out of their last seven games leading into the tournament, with the two losses being very close games, the players were excited about the opportunity to repeat as champions.

“Heading into this tournament, we were all excited,” Jared Swierk (12) said. “We felt like it was a great opportunity for us to prove ourselves as a team.”

They opened the tournament playing well, with a 6-0 win over Kirkwood in their first game of pool play. That game highlighted Swierk, Eric Brinkmann (11), and Mike Munsell (11), who all had two goals. Also, Alec McChesney (12) and Troy Korte (11) recorded a shutout, as both split time in goal.

“We came out ready to play, and we really came together as a team. It’s always a good sign when you get a solid contribution from more than one player,” captain Zach Klipsch (12) said.

OHS would go on to tie their second game 0-0 against St. Dominic, and win their third game 2-0 against a nationally ranked St. Louis University High (SLUH) team, giving them only their second loss of the season. Alex Dieckmann (11) and Nick Makowski (10) both scored a goal in the win over SLUH, and McChesney was credited with the shutout after denying all seven SLUH shots on goal.

“SLUH is a real tough team, Klipsch said. “I was pleased with our performance in that game.”

The Tigers would finish with a pool play record of 2-0-1, heading into tournament play. They would play an O’Fallon team, that had a perfect 3-0-0 in pool play heading into the semifinal game against OHS.

The Tigers kept it close all game long, but they lost 1-0 in penalty kicks. Zach Klipsch had a shot placed into the top corner of the goal which was blocked. Jordan Klipsch (11)  had another good shot on goal which was also blocked.

“We came out extremely flat to open the game, and didn’t make any adjustments as the game progressed,” Swierk said. “We had no intensity, and it was really a disappointing loss. Hopefully we’ll be able to bounce back.”

The tournament leaves OHS soccer with a 7-5-1 overall record as of Sept. 26.